wairua
/ˈwʌɪruːə/noun (plural wairuas or same) NZ
The spirit or the soul: participants who stopped smoking confirmed a positive effect on their wairua...
- In retrospect, they could see how smoking had clouded their wairua "like a fog".
- I may not have Maori blood in me, but the spirit —wairua—of New Zealand is in me.
- The survival of the wairua was never assured.
Origin
Early 19th century: Maori.